It has long been recognized that swimming is an excellent form of exercise. Swimming develops good muscle conditioning, exercises the cardiovascular system, is very low impact, and is one of the more effective exercises for burning calories and helping people control and/or reduce weight.
However, it is difficult for many people to participate in swimming on a regular basis for a wide variety of reasons. Owning a home pool can be expensive and difficult to maintain, not to mention geographic and/or meteorological considerations that may render a pool unusable for half the year or more. Additionally, the space requirements for owning a pool (and/or a separate workout room) can be excessive. Memberships to health clubs and fitness centers can be expensive. Many people are self-conscious about their bodies and will avoid going to a public pool. Further, many public pools can also lack cleanliness or are poorly maintained. Moreover, the time involved to travel to a facility with a pool or to a natural body of water can be prohibitive for many people.